Job Interview…

I went for a job interview today… (pause while Debra Lilley picks herself off the floor)

It’s probably been about 8 years since I’ve had a formal interview like this. I admit I was a little nervous going in, but it turned out to be pretty good fun.

It started with a 1 hour written exam. It’s been about 20 years since I’ve written more than a signature with a pen, so having to write with a pen for 1 hour was pretty terrifying. I’m not big on remembering syntax (that’s what the manuals are for :)), but hopefully I showed that I understood what was going on. Some of the questions could have been answered with “Read this: oracle-base.com/articles/….”. Pity that wasn’t an option. 🙂

After the written exam came a regular interview. I like interviews. I like talking to people about technical stuff, so I had a good time. I hope they did too. Nobody fell asleep and I didn’t see any ears bleeding, so I guess I didn’t bore them too much. I get quite “enthusiastic” when I’m talking about technology. I guess that can be a little daunting to some people. I hope I didn’t scare anybody off. 🙂

I guess it’s now down to them to decide if I’m a good fit for the job or if one of the other candidates will fit in better. Time will tell.

It would be really neat to get the job, but I’m lucky in so much as if I don’t get it, it will not really impact on my life, so I’m not tense about the outcome. Whatever will be, will be.

Was a bit of a surprise to know that you had to take a written test. Also knowing that I am not the only one who feels that putting too much of effort on remembering the syntax is unnecessary. Best of luck!

Making someone sit an exam is a good way to test how they react under pressure. Taking them out of their comfort zone by making them write with a pen adds more pressure.

Writing articles is easy. You have time to test things and consider your options and there is no time pressure. That’s different to doing the job with someone expecting results pronto. Maybe someone like me needs that test even more than others? 🙂

I think I may have been interviewed for the same job (or something very similar) last thursday , written tests are always interesting as it reveals a lot about the intervewer(s) and what they think is important.

Have you been asked to give 3 reasons that push them to hire you? That is a standard question in French job interviews. More than 12 years ago I have been asked the same question by a French company to which I gave a dramatic answer. I know that I am very far to be a commercial guy; this is why I decided since then to change my strategy in answering this kind of question. 4 years ago, I have been interviewed for a new job by another French IT company and inevitably got the same question. But this time my answer was very unsettling. “Why don’t you give me your 3 reasons that will push me to join you? I have answered. Why, do you always think that it is always a one way relationship in which I am the sole beneficiary? The interviewer put immediately an end to the interview. Two days later I received an e-mail notifying my acceptance to start working with them. You know what? As I have expected, the position conditions were not very satisfying so that I’ve declined the proposition

Exactly! I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with the core team when I interviewed and had a good feel for the various personalities and projects before I started. Its been great fun and busy for past 16 months. Hope your new job is fantastic and your compensation is excellent and to your expectations. Mind if you tell us where you ended up working at? For me the ironic outcome is that I have been messaged and approached 100x more after working full time here than when I was looking for a new gig! Guess companies want employed engineers over unemployed folks.